Paris: The Left Bank, for Less
 

NYT's travel section has an interesting article on prices, places to eat, and things to do on the Left Bank. Requires registration.

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2004/08/2...FParis&8td

Talk about great minds thinking alike, Degas. :)

There are several glaring errors in the body of that article--mainly the price of the museums. They are correct at the end.
Also I think he does a disservice to first time travellers making Paris seem pretty expensive. There are many ways to travel to Paris and not spend nearly what he did. He also does not even mention the possibility of the museum pass. I think it's a pretty lame article for what it purported to do.

Gretchen, at least he was up front about having a 200E budget per day, but I agree he failed badly if his focus was supposed to be budget travel. I expect many of us might have used the money in much different ways.

Thanks for the heads up Degas! I'm going to Paris for the first time since I was 12 (now age 34) on Thursday and this article was great! In case you didn't see it, there was also an article on the Right Bank.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/29/tr...urope%2fFrance

Thanks Degas. It was worth reading the Times' article just to find out about the reduced admission on Sundays to the Rodin, Cluny, and D'Orsay museums.

That is about our budget for 2 people/day and we eat very well.

Gretchen, the figure in the body of the article includes audio guides and what he bought at the cafés:
>>Musée Rodin ($18, with reduced Sunday admission of $3.75, audio guide, ice cream, mineral water and coffee)<<

>>Musée d'Orsay ($17.50, with reduced late-entrance fee of $6.25, audio guide and tea in the ornate gilded cafe)<<

Thanks for the info. The Palais du Bourbon is the hotel I FINALLY chose for our stay w/ my daughter's senior class. We'll be there Sept. 16-21st finishing up a whirlwind European tour. I can't wait! My daughter and I went to Paris for the first time last summer and can't wait to go back.

mdmomof7:

FYI
I stayed at the Hotel du Palais Bourbon last February. This is a very reasonably-priced lodging with a wonderfully cooperative staff. The location is in a quiet, dignified neighborhood within the government office area, only about a block or so from the Musee Rodin, and just another block away from the Metro station. My room was clean and the bathroom, while small, provided an ample supply of hot water. The breakfasts were generous and could be had either in-room or in one of the two dining areas, first floor and basement. There is a lift which was always operable. Besides being a bit noisy at times, the only real problem was the infernal smoke. Employees puffed away ad nauseaum and the foul air filtered up through the halls and staircases, permeating every corner of the building. I know it's Paris, but this seemed to be excessive. I kept my windows open even on the coldest nights to combat the stench. Having said that, this hotel boasts a great rate for a very comfortable accommodation, and I'd probably stay there again, hoping that the smoking issue is not quite as serious next time.

hi zola
Your review seems pretty strongly negative to me--"foul air..permeating every corner of the building...stench..." etc.
What did you pay?
I'm sure there are similarly priced alternatives that are stench-less so you don't have to go back there.

THanks for the tip, I just read both the articles (Left and Right banks). They are kind of strange articles, in a way -- just sort of an odd assemblage of museums and meals and a couple hotels. It's almost more like an idea to give you the ambience of the place in a way, it seemed to me. The prices quoted for the museums didn't seem confusing to me, I think they were clear that they included more than just the museum entry, at least I never misunderstood them.

I think I've seen a lot better articles even in travel sections of newspapers (where I know space is limited) that had a specific goal, like budget travel. The author just did kind of strange stuff for budget travel, although the hotel was cheap enough. I'll admit I never heard of the Saint Pierre. HOwever, he or she immediately moved hotels because they disliked it so much, so that was kind of strange (same for the Right Bank). I never accidentally end up blowing US$70 at a wine bar, though, without trying, nor have I ever spent $70 on a dinner. I know many people do and that's not that unusual, but the article was making it sound like this person was really trying to dine cheaply and budget.

I thought the Right Bank article was a little odd because the author lived in Paris (at least now) but seemed to choose the first hotel rather haphazardly. In fact, both of these articles aren't exactly promoting good travel habits as both authors seemed to pick their initial hotels by throwing darts or something instead of trying to find a little about them from good sources.

It always surprises me what some folks consider "budget." And all those taxi rides? What happened to the metro?

Well, the Left Bank fella had a 200 Euro/per day budget. He did skip the $11 cake at Cafe de Flore though.

As mentioned, my main objection to such articles is that people will now think that this is the cheapest price at which you can manage to see Paris. Rick Steves' guide, whatever else one might say, has a more realistic assessment for the beginning, non-backpacking-budget traveler.

My boss saved this section for me. I read it during lunch. For me, it was nice to see "nice" things written about the 11th. Before I knew of Fodors and "the other ones", I ended up staying at the Lyon-Mulhouse in teh 11th and I LIKED the area! Then I came here and never heard of it mentioned again!

Thanks for the clarification on the museum guide fees. I obviously just skimmed the article.

Elaine:

My comments concerning Hotel du Palais Bourbon were what they were. Take away the smoke, and this is a charming lodging at a great price: it is well-situated, provides a comfortable room with ample amenities, and the staff are both friendly and helpful. Indeed, my only complaint (aside from the noisy renovation construction which I now understand has been completed) was the pervasive smoke. As a non-smoker I am probably more sensitive to that situation, but I made no exaggeration. The several positive aspects overwhelm the negative, but that one can't be ignored. It is enough to make me think twice about returning, and I submit that other travelers should be made aware of it as well.

I also hate the smell of smoke! What a turn-over.

degas:

turn "over" ? hadn't heard that before